Two teams pitch mixed‑use affordable housing for Houghton Village; council seeks more financial detail

Two development teams presented competing visions to the Kirkland City Council for the city‑owned Houghton Village site, offering 100% affordable and mixed rental/homeownership plans that would put housing and ground‑floor community space on the parcel the city bought in 2022.

The proposals, presented during the council’s July 1 study session, focused on delivering a high share of affordable housing while providing neighborhood‑serving commercial or nonprofit space. Developer Joey Lonsford of Inland Group described a mid‑rise model with about 140–175 units restricted to 60 percent of area median income (AMI) and a conceptual $90 million budget for a 175‑unit scheme. Yi Zhao of Imagine Housing outlined a lower‑rise option that deliberately does not maximize height and would include about 120 rental units plus roughly 20 affordable homeownership units with more than 18,000 square feet of ground‑floor commercial/community space.

Both teams told council they plan to use Low‑Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and state bond programs as the primary equity sources, and both said…